Whiskey Ring scandal

E697868

The Whiskey Ring scandal was a major 1870s U.S. political corruption scheme involving distillers and government officials who conspired to defraud the federal government of liquor tax revenues during President Ulysses S. Grant’s administration.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Whiskey Ring scandal canonical 4

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (53)

Predicate Object
instanceOf political scandal ⓘ
amountRecovered over $3,000,000 in unpaid taxes and fines ⓘ
appliesToTaxon Internal Revenue Service officials ⓘ
distillers ⓘ
federal revenue officials ⓘ
political operatives of the Republican Party ⓘ
whiskey distributors ⓘ
cause high federal excise taxes on distilled spirits after the Civil War ⓘ
opportunity for collusion between distillers and revenue officials ⓘ
charge bribery ⓘ
conspiracy to defraud the United States ⓘ
tax evasion ⓘ
country United States ⓘ
endTime 1875 ⓘ
hasEffect damage to the reputation of Ulysses S. Grant’s administration ⓘ
defrauding the federal government of liquor tax revenues ⓘ
increased calls for civil service reform ⓘ
loss of millions of dollars in federal excise taxes ⓘ
public outcry over government corruption ⓘ
historicalPeriod Reconstruction era ⓘ
investigatedBy Benjamin H. Bristow, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury ⓘ
linked to: Benjamin H. Bristow

special Treasury Department investigators ⓘ
location Chicago ⓘ
Cincinnati ⓘ
Milwaukee ⓘ
New Orleans ⓘ
Peoria ⓘ
St. Louis ⓘ
linked to: Saint Louis City

other Midwestern and Western U.S. cities ⓘ
mainTopic tax fraud ⓘ
mannerOf bribing revenue agents to overlook tax liabilities ⓘ
issuing fraudulent tax stamps ⓘ
underreporting whiskey production ⓘ
notableOutcome Grant provided personal testimony supporting Orville E. Babcock ⓘ
Orville E. Babcock was indicted but acquitted ⓘ
several high-ranking officials resigned or were removed ⓘ
numberOfArrests over 200 ⓘ
numberOfConvictions over 100 ⓘ
numberOfIndictments over 230 ⓘ
participant Republican Party political figures ⓘ
Treasury Department officials ⓘ
linked to: Treasury Department

federal revenue agents ⓘ
whiskey distillers ⓘ
partOf corruption controversies of the Grant administration ⓘ
pointInTime Grant administration ⓘ
significantEvent exposure in 1875 ⓘ
significantPerson Benjamin H. Bristow ⓘ
Grant’s private secretary ⓘ
John McDonald ⓘ
Orville E. Babcock ⓘ
Ulysses S. Grant ⓘ
William W. Belknap ⓘ
startTime 1871 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Grant administration → hasEvent → Whiskey Ring scandal ⓘ
Credit Mobilier scandal → followedBy → Whiskey Ring scandal ⓘ
Sanborn contracts scandal → followedBy → Whiskey Ring scandal ⓘ